Sleep disorders are a common and poorly treated disease state. This double blind, four arm placebo-controlled, randomized trial compared (1) low dose trazodone, (2) Sentra PM, a neurotransmitter based medical food, (3) the joint administration of trazodone and the medical food Sentra PM and (4) placebo. There were 111 subjects studied in 12 independent sites. Subjects underwent baseline screeni...

BACKGROUND Recently the vagal output of the central nervous system has been shown to suppress the innate immune defense to pathogens. Here we investigated by anatomical and physiological techniques the communication of the brain with the spleen and provided evidence that the brain has the capacity to stimulate the production of antigen specific antibodies by its parasympathetic autonomic output...

BACKGROUND Ketamine increases both blood pressure and heart rate, effects commonly thought of as sympathoexcitatory. The authors investigated possible central nervous system actions of ketamine to inhibit cardiac parasympathetic neurons in the brainstem by inhibiting multiple nicotinic excitatory mechanisms. METHODS The authors used a novel in vitro approach to study the effect of ketamine on...

Methods to predict onset of cardiopulmonary (CP) decompression sickness (DCS) would be of great benefit to clinicians caring for stricken divers. Principal dynamic mode (PDM) analysis of the electrocardiogram has been shown to provide accurate separation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic tone dynamics. Nine swine (Sus scrofa) underwent a 15-h saturation dive at 184 kPa (60 ft. of saltwater...

UNLABELLED Stress is a complex phenomenon coordinated by two main neural systems: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system with cortisol as classical stress biomarker and the autonomic nervous system with heart rate variability (HRV) as recently suggested stress marker. To test low HRV (5 minute measurements) as stress indicator in young children (5-10 y), associations with self-reported chron...

This laboratory study explored buffering and recovery effects of viewing urban green and built spaces on autonomic nervous system activity. Forty-six students viewed photos of green and built spaces immediately following, and preceding acute stress induction. Simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram and impedance cardiogram signal was used to derive respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-e...

Alzheimer's disease and primary open-angle glaucoma have common links of pathogenesis, so they may the same trigger - an excessively narrowed pupil, manifested by activation parasympathetic nervous system. It is advisable to start treatment with medical or surgical dilation pupil. This approach can be useful in migraine, epilepsy, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder other diseases tha...

Panic disorder is often associated with the autonomic nervous system pattern - sympathetic activation and parasympathetic (vagal) withdrawal. However, we present one special case here to show a totally reversed pathogenesis - vagal activation occupying the leading role, which requires atropine to cure the patient's symptoms. Through this report, it is reasonably proven that panic disorder may b...

Histological and histochemical studies on the pancreas of goose (Anser albifrons) were carried out using special staining and light microscope. The pancreas in goose is serous tubuloacinar gland having exocrine and endocrine part. Smooth muscle fibres were absent in capsule of pancreas. Acinar cells have bizonal shape. Intralobular ducts, Interlobular and main excretory ducts were present withi...